On one knee
by Piper J. Nox
Summary: "You can't go back to sleep!" James whined. "I need you, man." "Night, night Prongs..." Padfoot murmured, the last word in the sentence difficult to make out as his face hit the pillow. "Today's the day I'm proposing to Lily. (One shot)


_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the places, characters or items mentioned. They all belong to J.K Rowling._

_On one knee._

Into the distance, hidden behind closed curtains, lie a cluster of grey ominous clouds cushioned together, an army; their shadows blanketing the houses below. After a clap of raging thunder , the army of clouds traveled over the skies, followed by a rhythmic pitter-patter against window panes, small bullets of water being fired, slowly at first, but as another clap of thunder roared from the sky, (this time closely accompanied by a flicker of lightning) the seams of the clouds armor burst. The fragments revealed themselves to be another downpour, colliding into glass windows throughout the moons wake and even until it retired into a slumber, the sun barely raising its head before clouds stifled its short lived rays.  
It didn't stop even as a beautiful red-headed woman emerged from one of the houses below, tutting in disappointment at its behavior whilst shaking open an rainbow colored umbrella, shielding herself from the floods, taking time to playfully step into puddles. Making sure no-one was around to watch, (ignorant to the fact the not many would be at this hour) the woman took a giant leap into one of the puddles, her shiny red wellington boots sneezing as they created a wave of water, the woman giggling to herself as she made her way.

As hours passed, the sky looked no better, remaining dark and gloomy; no indication that it was in fact mid-morning. The only way you were to know was due to the dawn chorus of alarm clocks, singing into the ears of each person in the neighborhood.

But in this particular house, stationed directly where the red-head had emerged several hours earlier be where the maroon curtains were abruptly pushed open at quite a speed; a young shirtless man barely out of his teens revealed, hair newly styled by the cushions which he had slept upon, rectangular glasses perched upon the bridge of his nose with his hands on his hips, beaming. Nothing, not even the fine weather he had awoken to could dampen his mood. Because today was the day James Potter planned to propose to his girlfriend, the delightful Lily Evans. Or we knew her as they playful, puddle-jumping red-head we met earlier.

Enthusiastically, James spun around heading towards the draw concealed within his nightstand, rummaging around a little, pulling out odds and ends until he finally found what it was he was looking for. The mirror. But oh no, for James Potter did not need such a mirror for checking his reflection, for such things were the least of his worries when so much had to be done on this fine day. Worries had to be shared you see, and in this case, James Potter could count on one friend in particular. Or at least he hoped he could.  
"Padfoot!" He whispered into the mirror, shaking it a little bit. "Padfoot!"  
Nothing.  
"Padfoot, wake up you lazy git!"  
After another moment of silence, followed by what could only be described as an muffled snort, the reflection began to morph from James's beaming, slightly stubbly face into that of another young man, half covered in a duvet with only part of his features showing. His eyelids heavy, squinting into the mirror as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing; his shaggy wavy black hair reached a little past his ear, half hidden by the pillow that lay on top of his head.  
"W-what time is it?"  
"8:00." James replied.  
"In the evening?"  
"Nope, in the morning ."  
The reflection in the mirror changed, the view wobbling slightly, moving at an odd angle whilst the boy fumbled with an small clock, pushing it closer with his finger tips whilst remaining in the comfort of his duvet, still dazed and confused by the look of things.  
"So this is what 8:00 in the morning looks like..." The young man mumbled, sitting up in his bed, cocooned within the crinkled duvets, making his way over the window where the only light shone from the flickering street lamp outside, raindrops staining the windows. "Don't like it. Going back to bed."  
From this response, James Potter sighed letting a smirk settle upon his lips as the other boy who answered to 'Padfoot' flopped onto the mattress, his mirror propped up somewhere in the room to enable a full view.  
"You can't go back to sleep!" James whined. "I need you, man."  
"Night, night Prongs..." Padfoot murmured, the last word in the sentence difficult to make out as his face hit the pillow.  
"Today's the day I'm proposing to Lily."  
In an instant, Padfoot sat up in bed, diving for the propped up mirror eyes wide and full of excitement; as if he had just been given several cups of the strongest coffee in existence, the sleep from his expression washed away.  
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?!"  
"Well, I was trying to keep it as a surprise!"  
Padfoot pursed his lips a little pointing through the mirror at James, his eyes narrowed.  
"Hey, are you saying I can't keep a secret?"  
Shrugging and shuffling his feet, James tilted his head a little.  
Narrowing his eyes further Padfoot let out a exaggerated gasp.  
"You are, aren't you!"  
"Its not really you I was worried about, but I knew if I told you earlier Moony and Wormtail would be next; and lets face it, we all know Wormy wouldn't be able to contain himself and Lily would have known by lunch time."  
Padfoot took a moment to process this.  
"How do you know I would tell Moony and Wormtail?"  
James grinned, tilting his head back to let a string of laughter escape.  
"Because you cant keep anything to yourself for a long period of time. Sorry mate, but its true."  
"Well it all comes out now doesn't it Prongs?" Padfoot huffed, a smirk settling. "You think you know a guy..."  
James shook his head, placing the mirror down, making sure he angled it so he and Padfoot could still communicate, searching through the draws.  
"Ah ha!" he exclaimed, pulling out the draw and flipping its contents so a shrill clatter could be heard. For Padfoot, James's head simply disapeared as he saw him bend down, peeling a piece of parchment from the bottom of the draw and rising into view again, triumphant.  
"This is a list of things I need to get done before Lily and I go to the restaurant tonight."  
"Does she have any idea? Any at all?"  
James stretched his lips, pushing up his glasses.  
"None. She doesn't even know we are going out; I was planning to surprise her. You know, all romantic."  
This caused Padfoot to snigger.  
"Fancy. So what is on the list?"  
"Well, the first and the most important. The ring."

* * *

"I think you will find what you are looking for here sir, we have an array of rings which are bound to fit for such a special occasion."

Centered in a quaint muggle village not far from the Potters house, a soggy James and Sirius found themselves trudging into a poetic jewelry store, the windows decorated with handmade material hearts, shelves lined with beautiul necklaces, watches, earrings and rings each portraying an unique style. Upon arrival, James and Sirius encountered the delight of exchanging conversation with a sales assistant who promptly left the men to ponder between rings.  
"Well that one is nice but that one she wont be able to lift up." Sirius said almost immediately after the assistant had left, peering over his shoulder noticing that while 'Patrick' -as his name tag read- had left them alone, he was desperately trying and failing to watch what they were doing from the desk, clearly pretending to write in a notebook.  
"But that is probably why he recommended it to you. More of the old-" Padfoot stopped speaking, rubbing his fingers together; a signal for money.  
James nodded, a sigh escaping his mouth and dusting in the glass in which protected the rings, the prices daunting him, the numbers swirling around his head, fighting for space among the apparent nerves and apprehension caused by the events of the day to come.  
Padfoot (or as we had earlier called him by his real name 'Sirius') broke from his persistent babbling for a moment, nudging James a little, causing him jump.  
"Prongs, you okay?"  
James looked up from staring at the prices, unaware that Padfoot had been talking the entire time.  
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he chose to try and hide his nervous expression from Padfoot, but fooling no-one, not even himself in the process.  
"Come on Prongs, I knew you weren't with it when you didn't laugh at my joke about the dude going past the window before."  
James's brow sunk. "What man?"  
His face blank Padfoot simply stated "Exactly."  
"I don't know...I'm just real nervous. There, I said it. I'm nervous."  
Padfoot smiled, clapping James on the back.  
"What the hell are you nervous for? You are gonna pick a bad ass ring, surprise Lily and the whole thing is going to be hunky dory and you will be laughing at how ridiculous you are being all the way till she meets you at the alter, with me telling you I told you so at your side."  
James nodded slowly.  
"...I'm just-what if she says no?"  
Padfoot began to laugh, his bark echoing around the shop, causing Patrick to stop pretending to write, eavesdropping further into into their conversation.  
"Are you kidding me? Of course she wont you daft plonker! A) She absolutely fancies the pants off of you. B) You are James Potter, the same smug git who after years of persistence and will to prove the world wrong got Lily Evans to go on date and C) You and Lily are going to have lots and lots of mini James and Lily's with me being their dutiful godfather along the way."  
Sighing heavily, James nodded, the weight dropping from his shoulders.  
"You're right, I'm being an grade A prat."  
Padfoot smiled.  
"I said it here first."  
Upon this realization, James dug into his trouser pockets, striding over to Patrick whom was smiling at their conversation, jumping out of his skin as James placed the money on the desk.  
"I want the one on the top left hand corner please."  
Patrick grinned heavily, a gold tooth peeking out, clapping his hands together.  
"Excellent choice sir. Would you like a bag?"  
"No thanks, I've got things covered."  
As Patrick picked up the keys from the desk, jingling his way over to the glass cabinet; Padfoot came up behind James.  
"I take it they weren't hints about you being the best man earlier, were they?" James grinned, turning his head towards his friend.  
Frowning and opening his mouth to form a circle Padfoot replied "Where ever did you get that idea from? Me, your best friend, be your best man at your wedding? What an absurd idea!" the corners of his mouth rising at the last moment.  
"Well I suppose I'm an absurd kind of guy." James grinned, patting Padfoot on the back causing him to celebrate a little, pumping his fist in the air.  
And as Patrick came back bearing a small black box, handing it to James, Padfoot asked.  
"and the hint about godfather?"  
"Don't push it."

Walking outside the shop with the bell the signalling tier leave, James pulled up an umbrella, handing Sirius the ring  
"Okay so, ring; check."  
Pulling out the list he had made earlier, James tilted his head forward, studying the list before placing a neat 'tick' next to the a scrawl which could be deciphered as 'ring'. However whilst James struggled between holding the umbrella, fighting with the screeching hiss of the winds and gripping tightly to the wings of the paper; he was blissfully unaware of the problem which awaited him if he turned around.  
"Err, Prongs...?"  
Scrunching up his face and shoving the paper into his coat pocket, whilst fighting to fix the wind-swept umbrella he replied shortly  
"Yeah Pads?"  
"I, er, we may have a problem."  
"Whats that then?"  
After pulling down the umbrella at last, sheltering under the looming rooftop of the shop where the grass green gutter choked and spluttered water, James looked up.  
At first, under different circumstances James would have found the situation rather amusing, yet due to the pressures one would feel proposing later on that evening, James was not impressed.  
"Its stuck." Padfoot stated.  
There on his finger was the ring James had just brought.  
"No, no, no." James murmured. "Let me try."  
Taking Padfoot's hand, he began to tug at the ring, pulling with all his might until his friend let out a mighty sqeak causing James to let go, hands on hips.  
"Wow, that's really stuck on there. What the hell were you doing, why is it on your finger?"  
Padfoot shrugged, looking down at the floor, in a bashful manor.  
"I dunno...I wanted to know what it felt like." but when James responded with his arms out, eyes wide with a shake of the head he added "Don't judge me okay, I was just curious"  
"Well, you're being judged." James began to smirk, turning around with his hands behind his head, biting his lips; and attempt to stifle laughter. Once again partially serene, James turned back around.  
"Now, seriously, lets try to get that off."  
Splashing through the puddles and pondering into an cobbled alleyway riddled with dustbins; James pulled out a wooden stick known to himself and Padfoot as a wizard's wand, scratching his head with the tip before waving it. While it was clear that what they were hoping for was the ring to slide off of Padfoot's finger with ease, they didn't expect his finger to engorge further, the ring barely able to breathe surrounding the skin.  
Eyes wide, Padfoot exclaimed  
"Well done Prongs, I've got a fat finger now."  
"Oh, because you're so the genius getting my girlfriend's ring stuck on your finger in the first place!"  
Putting his hands on his hips Padfoot frowned, the space between his eyebrows creasing.  
"Bet I could do a better job than this monstrosity."  
James pretended to bow.  
"Be my guest; I don't care who does it as long as I don't have to present the ring to Lily with you on the other end of it."  
This caused an array of spells to be tried, panic to ensue until they managed to enlarge the ring to a similar size to a hula-hoop enabling Padfoot to slip his finger out with ease; then shrinking it to its original size.  
"Now I'll be keeping hold of this if you don't mind." James stated, placing the ring inside its little black box and putting within his coat pocket.  
Putting his hands up in defense Padfoot replied.  
"Oh don't you worry Prongs, you keep that ring of death. That thing is coming no where near me."

* * *

"I have to say James, you certainly surprised me this evening."  
A pair of green eyes-from behind a menu proclaimed, belonging to one, Lily Evans. Yet, while the suspicious red head who eyed her boyfriend (who at this point grinned, sheltering his face behind his menu) was referring only to James's insistence at going out that evening, she had not yet learned of the purpose. As James's palms began to sweat from under the table, it wouldn't be long before she would know.  
"Are you ready to order Sir and Madam?" a waiter asked, young, with a white apron tied around his centre.  
James looked up, after a quick scan of the menu, eyes jumping to Lily.  
"Lil?"  
At this she nodded. Naming off their orders the waiter quickly wrote down their meals, whisking away to the kitchen.  
Chin rested in her palm, Lily eyed James for a moment, noting his unusually quiet manor, his mind clearly far away from the table. Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear she lowered her head, meeting her eyes with his causing him to flutter back down to earth. Smiling she took one of his hands across the table.  
"James? Are you alright?"  
His other hands that wasn't enclosed within hers shot towards the back of his hair (the hair that no matter how many times he had tried to comb it stood up at the back) nodding.  
"Mhm. I'm great. Fantastic, you know me. Are you? Of course you are, you are brilliant." James spluttered, his eyes wide, squeezing her hand lightly.  
"James?"  
"Yeah?"  
"What's wrong?"  
James's lips parted, taking both of her hands he smiled.  
"Nothing is wrong Lil. And that's what's so great." James began. "I have imagined since I first met you how I would go about saying this to you, how I would find the right words to say and whether they would be enough to sell me to you. Even when you rejected me all those times I was a grade A prat-" James looked up to the sky smiling at the memories of their school days, bringing them back down expecting the first face he saw Lily's. Well, it may have been, but two faces at the table in the corner behind his were two faces he certainly didn't expect to see.  
"James what-"  
"Err, hold that thought, I need the toilet for a sec."  
Jumping up, he whisked past the table, slaloming round the tables until he reached the sight of two faces he knew very well peeking behind menus. Immediately he grabbed them both by the ear and headed straight for the mens bathroom, kicking open the door gently and shoving the two of them in, making sure the door shut behind them.  
"I told you you couldn't keep a secret!"  
There, looking rather ashamed stood Sirius, or rather as we have been calling him Padfoot; his dark wavy hair falling over his face, hands behind his back in an olive green v-neck t-shirt and blue jeans. A thick belt doing a terrible job at holding them up.  
"I'm sorry Prongs, but this is Marauder business."  
"Nuh uh its not!"  
"Is too!"  
The other figure in which stood shyly beside Padfoot was one of James's other best friends; Remus Lupin, or as James and Sirius liked to call him 'Moony'.  
He cleared his throat, lifting his finger a little to signal an end to the bickering.  
"Uh, sorry about this Prongs. I told him that we should leave you alone but-"  
A large gasp could be heard escaping from Padfoot's mouth.  
"Liar Liar broomstick on fire! You guessed and then said, and I quote 'It would be great to see Lily's reaction.' Do I have to say anymore?"  
James groaned, putting his head in his hands.  
"If she saw either of you she'd guess exactly what was happening. Did that occur to you?"  
Both Sirius and Remus looked at each other, nodding enthusiastically.  
"That's why we hid!"  
"Look, as much as I love the support, I can't have an audience. I don't need any help messing this up. I'm doing a fine job myself, and for the amount of time we have been in here, I'm pretty sure Lily probably thinks I have the squits so..." he gestured towards the door. "Stay here."  
James pushed open the door, spying Lily looking at the wine menu. Now he had discarded all distractions he could fully appreciate the night, how she had chosen his favourite dress of hers to wear, how her hair was down, clipped up at both sides showing a pair of pearl earrings she had received for Christmas. Perfect he thought. All he had to do was make sure he delivered his speech properly this time; no interruptions. How hard could it be?  
Sauntering over, James slid back into his seat, the waiter arriving with their food. Lily looked up from her menu, smiling at the waiter.  
"Thank you." she said. Then, noticing James's arrival she knotted her brows together. "James, are you sure you all right, what was that lovely speech for and-"  
"Just thought you needed reminding of how much I need you." he managed to brush it off. Well, as much as he could with Lily's suspicious glare.  
"uh-huh." she stated blankly, clearly still unsure. But upon his beaming smile she returned one, relaxing a little. "Well, it was lovely. Thank you."  
James blushed, his eyes directed towards the ceiling.  
"...I wasn't finished really...I'm sorry for dashing off."  
Lily smiled "That's alright. When a mans gotta go..."  
"I want to finish though, if you'll let me?"  
Suspicion rose again within her face, Lily tilting her head to the side, as if she were looking at a sculpture that she didn't quite understand. "Alright."  
James sighed, taking hold of her hands.  
"Lily, like I said, I have always pictured how I would say this, trying to find thd right words that fit perfectly when all I really needed was to-"  
It was at this precise moment, when a crashing of plates was yo be heard, screams from the kitchen and then, moments later the words.  
"Ahhhh! There's a rat!" a large woman wearing an array of pearled necklaces, a frilly pale dress screeched, standing upon a chair as a large garden rat, with pink toes scuttled along the floor boards, the piano music in the background coming to a halt as people began to screech, the young waiter and another waitress attempting to calm people, baffled how a common garden rat could have escaped into their 4 star restaurant. James halted his speech once again, angry at the second disturbance. But he knew that this wasn't your average rat, as he watched it scuttle around tables, until it came to the conclusion that where it needed to be was in the gentleman's bathroom. Because this rat wasn't an it, but an He. Not a rat at all some might say.  
"Oh my goodness, James, will you help those people catch the rat?" Lilt asked, concerned. "I'll find someone we can call to get rid of it." With this she began to get up out of her chair until James stopped her.  
"Don't worry about it Lil, you sit down, I'll do more than catch it." James growled getting up, scraping his chair across the floor.  
"Don't kill it, you know Peter wouldn't thank you for it." she frowned.  
James nodded, turning towards the toilets, passing a few tables of scrambling people with his fists tightly screwed together.  
"He's not about to thank me for what I'm about to do..." he mumbled out of ear shot, pushing the door open.  
"What did I say?!" he shouted, the door flapping back and forth until it shut behind. However while he was expecting to see Remus and Sirius, instead stood a poor man washing his hands at the sink, wide eyed.  
"I-I don't know. Sh-should I?"  
James winced apologetically.  
"Sorry, I thought you were someone else."  
The man, who had balding wrinkly hair and rosy cheeks shuffled out, hid hands wet whist James grinned, his hand messing up the back of his hair with embarrassment.  
He then proceeded to walk along the urinals, towards the stalls, walking back a little until he could see a little underneath. In the last of the four stalls were 2 pairs of feet, and as James began to walk closer the feet- whom were shuffling before hand stopped, dead quiet. Pulling out his wand slowly, he whipped it towards the toilet door. BANG! It slammed open, the sight of three wincing faces were to be seen, a new face on the floor beside Remus, small and chubby, timid looking known to the three other boys as 'Wormtail' or 'Peter' or as we know him previously as the rat, fully changed into boy form. He had no features of a man about him, no sign he was in fact reaching the fine days of a 21 years of age; all if his boyish features in tact. Quite the opposite was Sirius, who had crouched upon the lid of the toilet, full of each feature Wormtail was missing; a ruggid stubble trailing down his jaw, sweeping wavy hair and a face that women couldn't seem to say no to.  
"All units, go go go!' Sirius commanded, a single finger in the air as they all stampeded towards James, but too quick did James grab both Remus and Peter; the slowest of the three. Sirius escaped, shaking his butt in celebration.  
"You lose suckers!" he chuckled.  
"Aww come on Pads, you practically trod on Wormy's head-now that's hardly fair." Remus smirked.  
"Did not!" Peter chirped.  
"Then why did he catch you losers?" Sirius questioned, dancing. "Eat my dust!"  
Groaning, James let go of them both, smacking Sirius in the back of the head.  
"You are all losers. I don't know if you noticed, but I was TRYING to propose out there!"  
Sirius held his hands up.  
"Then what are you doing in here ya plonker!"  
Pinching the bridge of his nose James turned to Peter.  
"And you, what were you thinking coming as a rat? It would have been a right side easier if you came human!"  
Shuffling his feet Peter replied "But Padfoot said-"  
"How many times do I tell you not to listen to his hair brained ideas?"  
"All right Moony." Sirius smirked.  
"Hey!" Remus frowned, clapping the head.  
It took several slaps and claps before James took hold of the suituation, waving his arms about.  
"Alright! Stop. Now I have to go back out there with a captured rat, so who is going to do the honours?"  
It took barely a second for both Sirius and Remus to step back, leaving Peter as the last standing candidate. He looked around, groanig befote slumping over.  
"Why me?!' he whined "Couldn't Remus just conjure a rat?"  
James thought for a moment, rubbing his chin.  
"...True, but it would be funny to watch you get carted off to pest control."  
Peters eyes grew wide, shaking his head violently. At this James's smile grew wide, pattih Peter on the back.  
"I'm kidding Wormy. Remus, do the honours please."  
Remus stepped forward, clearly his throat before muttering "Accio rat."  
In the corner where lie a metal cadged drain, the floor began to rattle, a thumping sound could be heard, and in a instant a thick blob of fur pushed out the metal casing, flying towards the men. Screaming like small children they dodged out of the way.  
The giant mass of hair began to move, James kneeling down an picking it up by the tail.  
"Perfect." he grinned.

* * *

"Its alright ladies and gentlemen; the rat has been caught." James exclaimed, holding it up causing the crowd to shudder. Handing it over to an animal specialist arrived upon Lily's use of the resturant telephone, the crowd began its continuation of complaints to a sweating manager, the three men able to slip out, hider further out of sight, yet stil able to watch if James ever got .  
"Ladies and Gentlemn I assure this was a one-time incident, we would never accept rats in our kitchen. Please sit down and enjoy your meals, they will all be free of charge for this evening."  
The manager managed to appease the crowd a little, some choosing to sit back down whilst other packig up to leave.  
"Maybe we should go too." Lily suggested, reaching to pick up her coat, James panicked, stopping her.  
"Please, Lily can we stay? Just for a little while longer, I promise it will be worth while."  
After a moment of thought she agreed sitting back down but ignoring her food.  
She began to giggle.  
"So much fuss over a tiny rat...haha what would Peter think?"  
James smiled, relaxing a little in his chair.  
"I'm sure he would be mortally offended."  
She looked towards the table a second, her eye lashes flickering.  
"Thank you for tonight James, I know it has been a bit of a disaster but it really was a sweet gesture."  
"You deserve a better night than this." James insisted. "You make me the happiest guy in the world you know that?" he reached out to stroke her face. "Which is why-"  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MARGARET-"  
The resturant staff came armed with a large cake, carrying it over to an old lady, who was clapping along with the remaining customers.  
"Damn it Margaret!" James growled, pushing back his chair and storming out of the resturant, his patience tested. He stomped into the street, where the rain continued to thrash down, leaning against a wall where the only light shone from a bent lampost and the lights from the resturant. He had wanted this night to be perfect, but it had been far from it. Each time he had tried to propose there had been a distraction or inturuption. He pondered how maybe this was a sign, how maybe this was the world's way of saying that he and Lily were not ready to be married.  
But as he thought this over, a figure arrived next to him, also wet from the rain, leaning upon the wall next to him.  
"Hey stranger." she said, pushing her dripping hair out of her face. "You're not okay, so don't say you are. I know you better than that."  
James looked towards his feet, scuffing them on the cobbled pavement. "I just...I just wanted tonight to be perfect. I'm sorry I made a mess of things."  
He didn't see Lily, her lips stretch and she shook her head.  
"You did brilliantly given the circumstances. Your temper held out longer than mine would have."  
She leaned in, reaching up to kiss him, meeting her lips with his. What James didn't see was how she reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a black box. Gently, she pulled away, kneeling down in the rain in front of him.  
"You make me the happiest I can be when I am with you." she began, James's eyes wide.  
"Lil-"  
"Shhh." she stopped him. "You are the only person who can make me so mad at times, yet I couldn't imagine life without you. James Potter, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"  
James Potter stared, the droplets falling from his sopping hair onto his face, his clothes drenched, his body shivering, But he wore a smile. A smile that was larger than life itself.  
"Oh bloody hell Prongs, say yes you prat!"  
Sirius.  
James, whom managed to never take his eyes away from Lily's managed to produce a hefty gesture to the three dictating that he needed no encouragement.  
"What do you think Evans?" He grinned, pulling Lily from the floor and into another kiss, the small crowd consisting of Sirius, Remus and Peter cheering, clapping and whistling.  
Pulling away, James tilted his head to the side "So you guessed, huh?" he asked, taking the ring from her and placing it on her finger.  
"It wasn't overly difficult once I noticed Tweedledee and Tweedledum over there behind us." she smirked, causing James to turn around, rolling up his sleeves, his finger aimed at both Remus and Sirius. In response the two held up thier hands.  
"I told you!"  
However Lily pulled him back.  
"...and the fact that I found your little list a few days ago."  
"HA!" Sirius jumped in front of James, shaking his butt for the second time that night. "Don't worry Lily flower, I'll have twinkle toes organised for the wedding." he bowed rather proudly. "Best man at your service...and possible Godfathertoyourchildren."  
The last part Sirius managed to slip out, bowing in front of Lily. he got half way before Peter and Remus dragged him backwards, causing him to trip, stumbling backwards.  
"Dude! You called Best man AND Godfather?" Peter asked, his voice raising a few octaves.  
"Now Wormy, I'm sure Padfoot knows the duties that will be involved with being a godfather. I mean, they are like the third parent." Remus sighed, knowing full well that he was winding Sirius up. He began to drift away, smirking when Sirius's eye doubled in size, chasing after him.  
"Wh-what? I thought it mean't I'd show them how to be little marauders?"  
Remus tutted. "Are you kidding? Nappies galore mate. Then, the terrible twos..."  
James, who had begun to play along, winced.  
"Ooh and of course you know about never getting any sleep right?"  
Sirius shook his head.  
"But-but I love my bed..."  
Lily called James over, smiling at the gullible side of their friend, noting the happy aura surrounding them all as she admired the ring that would soon make her Lily Potter.  
"So...you said Sirius could be Godfather to our children?" she began, looking towards the floor.  
James's smile shrunk a little, shuffling his feet, noticing her grow quiet.  
"Aw,yeah, Lil's I didn't mean- I mean I was-we were only jok-"  
James stammered, the blood rushing towards his cheeks, his hand bouncing towards his hair.  
"But you've thought about kids?" she looked up, her wet red hair falling over her shoulders, one of her eyebrows raising only slightly.  
"...yeah...maybe...but-but there is no rush...I mean, ha, we have only just gotten engaged." he paused taking her hands in his, clearing this throat and taking a large breath. "But yeah, someday."  
Lily squeezed his hands, breathing deeply in as she began to smile to herself nodding.  
"Well someday is today."  
James gulped. His heart began to beat.  
"What?"  
"James, I'm pregnant."

_Author note: I know the maths probably isn't right between when Harry was born and the dates we believe their wedding to have been, but hey, I like it this way :)_


End file.
